Band Geeks

Disclaimer: I do not own Virals

A/N: This is not meant to offend anyone in a band. I was in the school band myself. For two years but still...Anyway I mean no harm. XP By the way this was started well before the last Harry Potter movie and I let it sit for a while but now it is finished!

"Why are you here?" Tory stood in front of Ben with her hands placed on her hips. She had waited for the rest of the class to clear out before she confronted Ben in the empty classroom. Just like with a wild dog she knew you had to show no fear if you wanted to win an argument with Ben Blue. It was like he could scent her weaknesses. For a normal human this might have been unusual but Ben was a viral, same as Tory, and of course he was Ben.

"To learn how to play an instrument of course." The expected answer came with just a pinch of sarcasm. Passive aggressive was so in these days.

"Really. What instrument?"

"Clarinet." Tory noted that it was the same instrument she had chosen to play when she joined the band a few weeks ago. Then again, great minds think alike and all that. Or one mind had an ulterior motive.

"You're a guy and you're going to play clarinet." Not unheard of, but this was Ben, a man's man. Tory couldn't picture him in a tuxedo playing with the philharmonic. He was more of a hands on, in the dirt kind of guy. He preferred driving a boat to driving a car for heaven's sake!

"That's what I said didn't I?" Some people went just a little bit overboard with the sarcastic remarks. Most of those people are teenagers and on this side of the island Ben Blue was neck and neck with Hi for first place.

"But you're a guy." Tory didn't want to just come out and say it so she did the next best thing. She alluded to it.

"Last time I checked. Which was about five minutes ago in the bathroom-" Ben of course had no problem with being blunt. He thought people as a whole would be much better off if each individual would just be honest with others up front. No games. Straight and to the point was his motto.

"TMI. Way too much information, Ben."

"Well you asked for it."

"No I didn't. And you never answered my question." Tory was trying to stay on topic but Ben's soothing voice and hypnotic eyes kept pulling her in. She just knew that if this conversation didn't end soon that she would end up staring up at him with an open mouth. In particular she would have drool dripping down her chin and wide mesmerized eyes. In other words she would look like an utter dork crossed with an obsessed fan-girl.

"What question? You were stating the obvious." One plus one equals two and she was trying to make him see that boy plus clarinet would equal rumors. Here she was trying to help him and he was just making her life all the more difficult in return.

"You're a guy who wants to play the clarinet and I want to know why!" She had to make sure his reasons were sound. If some arrogant jerk confronted him and all Ben had was a stuttering excuse, Ben would be the laughingstock of the school by second period and the damage would be irreversible.

"What does gender have to do with music?" Well your target audience for one. Pitch and lyrics for another. Insane Clown Posses' lyrics would be taken so differently if they were an all-girl band. Their lyrics are derogatory to girls and that is fine but it would be completely different with a female voice.

"It's the difference between Ke$ha and Trace Atkins." Difference wasn't quite the appropriate word to use. Polar opposites would be much more accurate. Although Tory had various songs by both on her iPhone.

"There's a genre issue there as well." Sometimes Tory wished she could have a serious conversation with Ben. It wasn't that Ben was making fun of her, that was Hi's area of expertise, but he wasn't taking this quite as seriously as she wanted him too.

"Don't nitpick at me!"

"Well you brought it up." That she did. She was enough of a woman to admit it but there was no rule that said she had to do so verbally. Silent admissions were accountable. It's the thought that counts after all.

"Well you're a guy and a clarinet is you know..."

"So the issue isn't with me as a person then?" For a moment Tory almost imagined that she saw hope flicker in Ben's eyes. She blinked and it was gone, replaced by his usual apathy.

"No. Why would you think that?"

"I just thought you didn't want me in the band." Why oh why did he sound so defensive? A simple question warranted a simple answer but his hesitation sparked Tory's innate curiosity.

"Oh no! I'm very happy that you decided to join, Ben. I just thought clarinet was an odd choice." For a guy anyway. A guy like Ben.

"Aren't there other guys in the clarinet section?" Three to be exact. All seniors. They were still a little sore that she beat them out of first chair.

"Yeah, but their...you know...gay." Another reason they didn't quite get along. Every girl dreams of having a gay best friend but as with most of the students that went to her school, they were complete and utter snobs.

"That's a personal choice." According to some people, but those three preferred to say that they were just born that way.

"So is playing clarinet."

"Don't you play the clarinet?" Tory had wanted to play a woodwind instrument but the flute didn't appeal to her.

"Yes, but I'm a girl."

"So you can help me. And don't stereotype a person's sexuality based on their choice of instrument." Did Blue think he had the right to lecture a Brennan? Her boyfriend might but Ben wasn't her boyfriend. No matter how much she wanted him to be, but she didn't want to go there quite yet. Unrequited love tended to make a person bitter. Not that she had ever told Ben how she felt or ever asked him if he could ever feel the same way about her. Teenagers are funny that way.

"I wasn't. But others will. I mean it's almost as bad as a banana!" There she had practically laid it out for him. Could he really be this dense?

"What does a banana have to do with this?" Yes he really can be. The problem with blunt honesty was that it makes you oblivious to subtleties.

"Well both a banana and a clarinet are phallic shaped." Oh why did Hi and Shelton have to walk into the band room at that moment? Why does Hi have such a vulgar mouth? Why does the world hate Tory? Why does Ben have such big eyes when he's shocked and why do his cheeks turn such a bright shade of red? He's tan!

"Hey Tory. Ben." At least Shelton knew how to act normally. Hi was just a person who could barely be called human. There are of course much more detailed explanations to describe Hi's personality but the simple one is much less confusing and more effective.

"So has he told you why he wants to join the band yet? No? Well, let me give you a hint. It involves Y-O-U-ack-BEN THAT'S MY ARM!" Ben had Hi's arm twisted behind his back and Hi's face was pale with pain.

"I know and that's my reason for joining band. You don't get to tell her! So hush."

"But you'll never get around to it!" Hi had a straight look on his face for once, seeming completely sincere. No one bought it.

"The conversation was heading there!" She may not be the master of persuasion and but Ben's defense sounded weak even to her. Whatever it was that they were talking about anyway.

"You were stalling and evading and you know it!" Trust Hi to call you on all of your bull. He may be the equivalent of a bull in a china shop when it comes to subtleties but you are not going to get anything past him.

"It wasn't the right time!"

"Psst. Shelton what are they talking about?" Tory kept her eyes on the arguing duo as she tilted her head to listen to Shelton's answer.

"Ben likes you and he joined the band so he could work up the courage to tell you." She quickly began to think that Shelton had been hanging around Hi for far too long. There was once a time when he would have stuttered out some long and confusing answer that wouldn't have resolved anything. But now? He gave it to you exactly as it was. Much like Hi himself. Scary.

"Benjamin Blue needed courage just to tell me how he feels? Why didn't he just come out and say it?" Tory continued to watch Ben whisper angry words to Hi. Hi for his part just stood there.

"Why didn't you?" She turned to face Shelton and let her gaze fall to the floor. She was decent at making new friends but she hadn't had any luck with romantic relationships.

"It's complicated."

"Sure it is. He wanted to ask you to a movie Friday night. Last Harry Potter movie I think." If he was planning to ask her on a date, that would be the ideal. She had been dying to see it for the past few weeks but had never had anyone to go with. Shelton and his tinkering, Hi with his comedian shows and she had been too nervous to ask Ben.

"Why are you and Hi here anyway?"

"Moral support and Hi wants to play the trumpet so I was going to audition for drum major."

"So now we are all band geeks?" Tory found the idea appealing. If Ben were to take Clarinet seriously it would be one more class they would have together and she could always tutor him as well. Sometimes the boys could be quite ingenious.

"Pretty much. Better grab lover boy over there. Looks like he's about to cripple Hi." Ben had yet to let go of Hi's arm, but she thought he might have decreased the pressure just a tad.

"Might be interesting to watch." She knew Ben wouldn't cause Hi any serious damage, maybe a few bruises. It may just be the only effective way to keep the boy from meddling in the affairs of others.

"Tory." Shelton's voice had the distinct ability to make him seem like an authority figure, even more so than her own dad.

"Fine. Ben?" She waited until he had turned his head in her direction and Hi was able to slip free before she spoke again, "I'll see you at seven. Meet me at the dock."

"Huh?" Ben had the look of a deer in the headlights look. She smiled and she saw his mouth turn up slightly at the corners.

"She just accepted your feelings stupid." Naturally, Hi was the one to break the moment. Tory walked to the exit, laughing as she heard their fight continue.

"Like your face is going to accept my fist?" If she had stayed she would have seen Ben reach for Hi's shirt and miss. Hi could apparently move quickly when his life force was threatened by an enraged Ben.

"Now now, what's a few words between friends?" Hi was trying to catch up with Tory before Ben caught up with him. So far she seemed to be the only person capable of stopping his rampage.

"Betrayal." Hi heard the words spoken close to his ear and knew is time was up, he had only one defense left. The tickle fight was on.

A/N: And I leave you with that fun concept. Such a fight may appear in another fic at some point...plot bunnies. Anyway, please review(: